A clear majority of Americans oppose the Obama Administration’s mandate which requires Church-run institutions to provide health insurance to their employees which covers abortifacient drugs, according to a new poll.

A survey commissioned by the New York Times and US TV network CBS finds Americans strongly oppose the new Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate and favour a broad exemption for religious groups and employers who do not want to pay for birth control drugs or drugs that may cause abortions.

The new survey, published on Tuesday, reveals that, by a 50-41 per centage point margin, Americans say all employers should not have to cover birth control or potentially abortion-causing drugs while a larger 57-36 per centage point margin say religious employers should not be forced to provide coverage.

When asked “Should health insurance plans for all employees have to cover the full cost of birth control for female employees or should employers be able to opt out for moral or religious reasons?” even women favor the opt-out on a 46-44 per cent plurality. That margin for women increased to a 53-38 margin for “religiously affiliated employers, such as a hospital or university.”

“These are not close results. It’s hard to read this poll and not conclude that, contrary to some accounts, Obama wasn’t such a genius to pick a fight over mandated contraception coverage–because he appears to be losing the public debate on the question. That’s a conclusion the Times story effectively hides from readers,” liberal blogger Mickey Klaus said on his online Daily Caller column.

“It’s also one possible explanation for Obama’s otherwise somewhat mystifying overall drop in approval during the period–March 7-11–when the poll was in the field.”

The New York Times/CBS poll follows from a poll conducted in February by Rasmussen Reports which found that 38 per cent of likely voters think health insurance companies should be required by law to cover the morning after pill without co-payments or other charges to the patient.

But 50 per cent of Americans disagree and oppose this requirement while 13 per cent are undecided.

“That’s less support than the 43 per cent who believe health insurers should be required to provide free contraception in general,” pollster Scott Rasmussen noted. “Only 39 per cent are opposed to the policy of providing free contraceptive services, 11 points lower than opposition to mandated coverage of the morning after pill.”

Looking deeper into the results of the new survey, Ramussen reports that female voters are only slightly more supportive than male voters of requiring health insurance companies to provide emergency contraception for free. Sixty-five per cent (65 per cent) of Democrats say health insurers should be required to provide the morning after pill for free. Seventy-two per cent (72 per cent) of Republicans and 54per cent of voters not affiliated with either party oppose such a policy.

Just 11 per cent think requiring health insurance companies to cover the cost of the morning after pill will reduce the cost of health insurance. Forty-nine per cent (49 per cent) say the mandate will increase the cost of health insurance, while 31 per cent believe it will have no impact, according to the new survey released today.

That survey follows a previous Rasmussen poll which asked: “The requirement to provide contraceptives for women violates deeply held beliefs of some churches and religious organisations. If providing such coverage violates the beliefs of a church or religious organisation, should the government still require them to provide coverage for contraceptives?”

Some 50 per cent of those polled said no while 39 per cent of Americans agreed.

“While a narrow plurality supported the concept of providing contraceptives for free, 50 per cent opposed the administration’s decision requiring churches or religious organisations to provide free contraceptives if it violates their deeply held beliefs,” Rasmussen added.

Also in February, a CNN survey indicated half of Americans oppose the new mandate pro-abortion President Barack Obama put in place that requires religious employers to pay for birth control or drugs that can cause abortions.

Interviews with 1,026 adult Americans conducted by telephone by ORC International on February 10-13 for CNN asked, “As you may know, the Obama administration has announced a new policy concerning health insurance plans provided by employers, including religious organisations, and how they handle birth control and contraceptive services for women. Based on what you have read or heard, do you approve or disapprove of this policy?”

The results show 50 per cent disapprove with the new Obama mandate while 44 per cent of Americans support it and 6 per cent are undecided.

The survey data showed men disapprove of the anti-conscience mandate 55-40 per cent while women are supportive 47-46 per cent. Younger voters are most supportive while older voters are more strongly opposed and white voters are opposed while non-white voters are more supportive.

The CNN survey follows a recent Pew poll asking, “Should religiously-affiliated institutions that object to the use of contraceptives be given an exemption from this rule, or should they be required to cover contraceptives like other employers?” That survey showed 49 per cent of Americans essentially opposed the mandate and supported a religious exemption while 44 per cent said religious employers should be forced to cover the birth control and controversial abortifacient drugs.

The new Obama mandate that requires religious groups to pay for birth control and drugs that may cause abortions for their employees could result in fines as much as $2,000 per employee or $100 each day if they refuse to comply.

Despite a vote in the Senate against overturning it, US Catholic bishops and leading pro-life groups vow to continue fighting the Obama mandate that forces religious employers to pay for birth control and drugs that may cause abortion.